Scottish Highlands in February half term?

[todayisabeautifulday]

So, we have done two February breaks in Austia at a Kinder Hotel. The kids (almost 5 and almost 3 by Feb 2018) loved it. To my dismay that hotel is already fully booked now and the other ones I checked do not inspire me. It is going to be close to 4000 euros for a week so I want to make sure that it is money well spent!

Anyway, I am now looking at the Scottish Highlands but am worried about a few things. Never been there before. Anyone who can help me?
(I have checked many of the previous threads on the topic but am still not sure whether it is a good idea or not)

It would be a week from February 12th (including DH's birthday).

I read an article in the Guardian about the Highland Wildlife Park and that place looks amazing. We ‘met’ two snow leopards in a zoo in Italy and I felt so sorry for them, so I am absolutely excited to see them in their climate. The kids LOVE animals, so I think it would be a great experience.

1- I have looked at Aviemore as a base, and the Hilton hotel there. I would rather spend more and have less stress about entertaining the kids than having to work hard because they are bored. The Hilton seems to have quite a good range of kids facilities. Is that so? I have read some comments re food not being very interesting. Is that so? Have you been to a better hotel nearby with good kids facilities? The pool is a must...

2- Am I completely crazy to think that we will be able to go to the Wildlife park in mid-February? Obviously I am not asking for detailed weather conditions, but in your experience are we likely to pass a whole week in the hotel with rain and winds and sleet outside or is there a good chance that we will get some days of decent weather?

3- I am not bothered about the kids learning to ski but we would like to play outdoors and if there was snow even better. Is that most likely to be the case?

4- If I take a plane and then a train/taxi can I reach the hotel? I got scared by this comment in one of the threads (We may or may not get snow, but we usually get freezing winds, ice, horizontal rain and sleet. It's not easy to get around - despite what you might think, Scotland does not handle snow as other countries who get snow for months every year, which we don't. I would be tempted to wait until much nearer the time to see what the weather is going to do, otherwise you might not get as far north as you would like once Scotrail decide the wrong type of weather is affecting the lines.)

5- Am I missing any other important consideration? Anything else that I should know?

Any suggestion/comment greatly appreciated! Thanks!!

I'd look at the McDonald resort before the Hilton in aviemore. It's central and better equipped. Hilton is a bit out. I'd say too far to walk particularly if it's heavy snow. McDonald resort has a pool too.

Weather wise difficult to tell. We were there in January last year and snow fall was heavy.

Flying you would need to get to Inverness and then the train down to aviemore.

We do the scottish highlands every feb half term. I cant advise on hotels as we rent a house but I can tell you some other things.

1 - Highland Wildlife Park is a must and very good even in feb
2 - Aviemore is a more "flashy" town than others. Its nice, hs an aspen feel to it. But is purely for tourists.
3 - you will need a car up there.
4 - Id say weve had snow 50% of our visits (annually for the past 12 years)
5 - the vernicular train up the Cairngorms is good. The base of the Cairngorms (still a hefty drive up the hill) is good for sledging.
6 - Take warm clothes. Sallopettes if sledging. Ski coats regardless. Thick gloves and hats.

We love about 60 miles north of aviemore. You can get off the train at aviemore or
Bus if it goes through it. The next main stop is inverness which is 26 miles north. A taxi would be approximately £30/40 from Inverness to aviemore. In February expect snow. Especially in aviemore. It is so well known for having terrible weather conditions when it snows. That is skiiing season. So if you are prepared to be frozen and enjoy the snow/skiing I would highly recommend it. If it is snowing I would highly recommend getting off the Train in aviemore as it would be more costly in a taxi as the traffic moved much slower in the snow. As for the wild life park I would check the opening times for that time of year. The prices to get in are extortionate for what you see. The last time I went the majority was bison. But there were tigers. Saying all of this.... you never know, it might be nice and sunny ☀️😁. Aviemore is a beautiful place with plenty to do and quite a few restaurants.

Live not love sorry

Thank you so much!! This is really, really helpful!